CSN Stores: Sunshine Kids {Review}

A few months ago I wrote about my husband going out shopping for a minivan and wondered if I was ready to be one of those moms yet.

Well, no time left for questions, we bought one. This one.

Like I mentioned back then, there are definitely pluses to driving a minivan. I love the automatic doors and the fact that both kids can climb all the way in and into their car seats without any help. The space is great, too, as well as the features like the backup camera and the DVD players and all that other stuff that we were probably getting along just fine without.

But there were two things that I noticed we needed to make our ride a little bit better. First of all, we have cloth seats in our other car, so there was never any worry about them being dented or damaged by the car seats and, surprisingly, other than crumbs they always stayed pretty clean.

Second, with less room in our car I could easily reach back and hand the kids their cups or snacks or books or whatever it was that they needed without any problem. But in the minivan, they're farther away so what am I going to do when Little Sister B wants her water and then doesn't and then does and then doesn't and then does?

Fortunately, I realized that the answer to both could be solved by none other than CSN.com. Is there really any problem that their 200+ stores couldn't resolve?

Typing in "car seat protector" to CSN's search bar and I was provided with over 1800 responses. Immediately my eye caught on not one, but two handy products: the Sunshine Kids Ultra Mat and the Sunshine Kids Side Rider Car Seat Basket.

Perfect for protecting your car upholstery from scratches and dents from a rear or forward-facing convertible car seat or booster seat, the Sunshine Kids Ultra Mat is made up of partitioned squares of high density foam. Covered with waterproof, washable polyester with a PVC backing, it grips right to the back and bottom of the seat to prevent any slipping.

Opening this up out of the box, I was impressed with just how thick and durable the Ultra Mat truly is. Instead of flimsy, thin seat protectors that I have seen in the store, this is plenty substantial enough that it can easily do its job but is also waterproof and washable - two must-haves for kids' products.

Installation was a snap by simply laying these out on our van's seats and clipping the top around the headrests. Once the car seats were securely back in place, not only were our seats protected but the convenient large pockets in the front were a great place to store any small items that we would need for the ride.

Now that my seats were protected, I moved on to adding storage that the kids could reach with the Side Rider Car Seat Baskets... which proved to be just as high quality and easy to install as the Ultra Mats.

Popping open right out of the box, the Baskets' spring steel frame keeps them open for easy access and the strong locking clips on the back keep the lightweight compartment attached precisely where it works best for you.

After hooking one of these on to each of my girls' car seats, they instantly had a place for their cups or toys that held strong even when the Baskets were full or being pulled on. I was glad to see that they can be adjusted almost instantly and that the rounded design means anyone walking between the car seats won't have to worry about bumping into the Baskets on their way to the back of the van.

And, of course, the fact that these are hand-washable is great, so anytime any food or sticky whatever gets on them, I can unclip them and have them cleaned up in no time. My seats are now safe and my kids are now happy - thanks, CSN!

By making browsing easy with options to search by category, brand, room, industry and more, CSN Stores and their massive selection, trained service team and consistently low prices can't be beat. My Sunshine Kids items did take more than a month to arrive from the time I placed the order, but I appreciated that CSN kept me up-to-date on their status while I waited. In the end, we received high quality products that filled their duties exactly as I was looking for, so it counts as another CSN Stores success!

(Other than the CSN Stores gift certificate I was provided to facilitate this review, I was not compensated or enticed to write this in any way. This review is solely my own opinion of this site and these products.)